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New menstrual cycle tracking technology used by Wales during Six Nations
New landmark technology has been introduced to allow Wales Women to analyse how the menstrual cycle impacts performance, wellbeing and recovery.
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The Vodafone PLAYER.Connect platform is currently being used by Wales Women throughout the TikTok Women’s Six Nations 2023 campaign and beyond, making them the first women’s side to do so.
Recent studies show that 67% of female rugby players believe menstrual cycle related symptoms severely impact their performance while 93% of female rugby players have reported menstrual cycle-related symptoms. However so far there is limited guidance available on how players can best manage those symptoms, with only 6% of current sports science research focusing on female athletes.
More research is therefore needed into the female athlete with Vodafone working with Cardiff Metropolitan University on a long-term research study investigating the impact of the menstrual cycle on areas ranging from concussion and injury prevention to soreness, mood and sleep, using the data gathered from PLAYER.Connect app.
The platform gathers data on players’ performance, menstrual cycle phases and mental and physical wellbeing, by combining data from wearable devices such as GPS trackers in real-time. This is in addition to input from the players themselves, via daily morning monitoring– a series of questions answered by the players on arrival at training.
Digging deeper into the menstrual cycle has already had a significant impact on the squad’s training and preparation, with Wales fly-half Elinor Snowsill saying:
“Women’s sport is growing massively, it’s becoming absolutely huge globally, and the majority of females have a period, and that’s happening not just a couple of times a year, it’s happening every month. It’s happening 12 times a year for most females. So it’s really important that governing bodies become aware of this and do everything they can to support their athletes through that and just increase their awareness of it.
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“The app collects a whole lot of data from the players, from sleep tracking to mood, energy. It also collects whether we’ve got any injuries or soreness. But then most importantly, it also collects our menstrual cycle. What phase we’re in and what symptoms we are getting.
“So if a player comes in and they’ve got severe cramping or fatigue or anything like that, then the coaches and physios are aware of it already without us having to have that conversation. Because you don’t always want to go up to your head coach and tell him, ‘I’m on my period. I’m in a lot of pain today. Just, so you know, I might not be my best self or whatever’. So it’s just really handy to be able to put it in the app.”
Wales prop Cerys Hale said: “Previously, my experience with my menstrual cycle has probably been quite a negative one. I’ve come round to that time of month and I’m feeling really lethargic, it can affect my mood quite heavily. And sometimes I can I feel like going out the house potentially is not a comfortable thing to do because I worry about leakage.
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“When I was younger and going to training when I was bleeding on my cycle, some sessions I would miss because of it. But I was quite lucky that my parents really encouraged me to overcome that barrier and I do a bit of coaching myself and often I get girls messages, saying ‘oh I can’t make it today because I’m on my period,’ so it’s kind of breaking that stigma and also giving people the tools to be able to train while they’re on their period and use it to their advantage.
“I think tracking the menstrual cycle has been key for me. It gives you actual information on things you could do to better your nutrition around your menstrual cycle in certain phases or any tips on how to reduce some of your symptoms. And it’s just given me a bit more confidence that I’m putting my body in the right place to be able to perform.
“I’m very keen to share positive messages and have those conversations with people. It’s just making people aware that there are things to do to manage your symptoms. And also, you know, there are benefits of having a menstrual cycle as well, which I think is something that we’re not taught while we’re young and I think it’s something that’s really changed my game.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Je suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
25 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
25 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
25 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
25 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
11 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
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